"The police chief and I worked very closely together on this," said St. John. "We believe the emergency communication services will only improve with this change. We'll be able to offer better service for about half the money."

The Shelby County E-911 Center, recognized nationally for its quality response, has been in service since 1989 and currently provides E-911 service to the Shelby County Sheriff's Office as well as multiple Fire and EMS Departments in the region.

The change--as slight as it may seem--is projected to help save the city approximately $500,000 per year as well as millions of dollars in potential upgrades down the road.

The current operating budget of the E-911 dispatch services run out of City Hall is in excess of $1 million a year, said St. John. In comparison, the procurement of services offered by Shelby County to do the same work will cost approximately $525,000 per year, in addition to some one-time start-up costs.

Had Vestavia chosen to continue to run its dispatch services out of City Hall, said St. John, the city would have had had to start replacing equipment that is now decades old--an additional cost of about $1.5 million just to get started.

"I wouldn't have recommended or approved this change if we thought there would be diminishment in the quality of services," said St. John. "If we needed to pay twice as much to ensure quality service, we would have paid twice as much."

As important as it was to help the city save money, officials and public safety personnel said they were also concerned with ensuring the continued success of the dispatch employees who had served the city for years.

Of the 13 dispatch employees who served with the department, all but two have found permanent employment. Some, said St. John, will transfer to the Shelby County dispatch service and work for the county. The city of Vestavia Hills will no longer employ dispatch service personnel.

"Working with these employees was always a pleasure," said St. John. "They are great people to work with; I always felt a great sense of comfort hearing their voices over the radio."

St. John said he wants residents to keep a few things in mind:

Despite the changes, the best way to reach the city's fire and police departments is by dialing 911.

To report a crime or incident that has already occurred, or to ask for a police officer to respond to a general complaint, residents are asked to call 205-823-1153.

To reach the Fire Department or EMS Service, residents should call 205-823-1296.

The Shelby County E-911 will monitor both of those lines in addition to 911, 24 hours a day/seven days a week.

Individuals calling from a cell phone are reminded that they must be prepared to provide dispatch with their location. Cell phone towers, said St. John, cannot accurately detail a caller's location.

For all other general inquires, residents are asked to call 205-978-0140 for the Police Department and 205-978-0225 for the Fire Department.